


cohabiting

by forgetfulgoldfish



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 20:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12991473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetfulgoldfish/pseuds/forgetfulgoldfish
Summary: co·hab·it/ˌkōˈhabət/definition: to coexist.(In which two bass ackwards adults learn to deal with each other.)





	cohabiting

                The saloon door opened with a slight creak, the warm air from within the building coming at the scarlet headed woman with a rush of enthusiasm as she made her way inside. Right hand on the pommel of her sword as her left remained braced on the door, she took a quick glance around the quiet establishment. Catching the bartender’s quizzical gaze, she nodded in his direction before her eyes drifted to the right and landed on an unfamiliar figure. Well, unfamiliar for this time of night, anyway… even _he_ usually drug himself home before this hour. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she watched the hunched figure heavily drinking at the bar take another swig of his beverage, not even acknowledging that someone new had entered the room. Avery’s eyes shot back to Gus in question as she brought her left hand down to her front, her finger pointing at the other patron in question, letting the door slide shut behind her. The man simply shrugged in answer.

                Gus and Avery had made a deal a month or two ago, after he caught her trudging back to her farm with her raggedy, rusted sword dragging behind her. She was covered in dirt and dried, crusted slime, as well as a few trickles of crimson here and there that seemed to alarm the older man enough to question the quiet newcomer about her adventures that night. She hesitated at first, unsure how to explain to him that she had been in the mines for the past eight hours trying to see how deep it could possibly go, all while slashing her way through various monsters. Maybe it had been her aching muscles or throbbing side (the resulting scar a gift from a skeleton that was particularly stealthy), but she relented rather easily and told the man the whole truth. As Gus crossed his arms, Avery took that as “This is disturbing and I am now judging you for your choices.” and nervously tried to laugh it all off as she made a feeble attempt to bail from the conversation. It was past midnight, and she’d just wanted to get home; she never expected Gus to end up drilling her when she attempted to sneak through town.

                “Come inside for a bit, at least.” he’d said, extending a hand and placing it gently on her arm in invitation as he held out his other hand toward the from door of his saloon. “Grab something to eat and regain some energy. You look ready to drop to the ground; wouldn’t want that to happen on your way back. Don’t worry about that,” he quickly interjected as Avery reached for her pocket in search of some cash. This all led to Gus asking Avery to swing by on days she decided to delve into the mines, which gave him the signal to stay open a little later than usual, despite Avery’s protests. “You’re down there risking your life to keep these people safe, and they don’t even know it. It’s the least I could do.” he’d always say.

                This, however, was the first time she’d have a drinking buddy. Or, knowing _him_ , someone to just sit near.

                Rubbing the back of her neck, Avery made her way to the bar and took her seat, cracking her neck as she got comfortable. “Just a water this time, Gus. And some of whatever food you might have left, please.” she told him in a soft voice.  

                Reaching under the counter, Gus placed a chilled bottle of water in front of her, the condensation already forming into larger droplets on the plastic. “I can make you a pizza,” he replied, “and you can take the rest home for later.”

                Avery winced slightly. “Are you sure? I don’t mind what’s left over from today, honestly. I don’t want to trouble you.”

                The man chuckled warmly. “You already know you’re going to lose this argument. Your pizza will be ready in a bit. Pepperoni?”

                “Yes, please.” she smiled kindly in return, shaking her head in exasperation. “Thank you.”

                Gus disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Avery alone with her bottle of water and her thoughts… well, almost alone. She cracked open her bottle and chugged its contents, not realizing how thirsty she actually was. With half of the bottle now downed, she came up for air, her eyes flickering back over to the man on the other end of the bar. She didn’t expect to see another pair of equally tired eyes to catch her gaze for a second before glaring back down at the nearly empty mug in front of them.

                If you’d told Avery that in a few months’ time she’d be trying to make friends with the lonely, local drunk whenever she’d first arrived in Pelican Town, she would’ve honestly laughed. Avery was reserved and tended to keep to herself, but she could easily talk to anyone who was willing to hold a conversation. She would later come to question herself as to what came over her this night, but for once, she didn’t think about her actions before acting on them. Carefully getting down from her stool, the Avery grabbed her bottle of water before making her way to the other side of the bar, near the fireplace. Where the man in question would _always_ sit.

                “You’re here later than usual.” she offered gently, knowing that he wasn’t one for friendly small talk. When he didn’t react, she spoke up again, a little louder this time. “Shane, right?”

                At the uttering of his name, the statue of a man stirred, only to side-eye the woman standing a ways behind him. Up close, Avery could better see the dark bags under his droopy eyes and his reddened nose and sclera. ‘Drunk.’ she thought to herself, although it wasn’t a surprise; Shane basically lived at the saloon.

                “…Yeah.”

                The corners of her mouth twitched slightly in a smile. “Avery.” she offered, claiming the seat that was one over to his left. Not in his personal space, but still close enough to hold a conversation, should he permit it.

**Author's Note:**

> i've been itching to get back into writing all of a sudden, and what better outlet to use than my current hyperfixation??
> 
> this may remain a one shot, may turn into a multi-chapter deal. depends. :')


End file.
